It started as my way to give back to a sport that helped save my life.

It Starts Here! I know the sacrifice, commitment, mindset, and the strength it takes to compete in a bodybuilding show. Carolina Bodybuilding’s foundation started from my passion for the sport of bodybuilding. As an image conscious, fitness enthusiast, and Mr. 1990 NPC North Carolina title holder, I had the vision to give every competitor a lasting and memorable imprint of their life in fitness.

I competed in over 16 NPC National and local bodybuilding competitions in the 90’s through 2004. This is a reason why I understand the importance of photographing you at your best condition. The photos will document your life’s greatest fitness accomplishments and will forever continue to inspire you. I try to capture you in deep thought, eating your healthy meal, resting on the floor, talking with your competitor friends, pumping back stage or posing your best pose before getting on stage. These are moments that I wish I would’ve had documented in my journey as a bodybuilder. I’ve had the pleasure to meet lots of competitors and Pros throughout the years of participating and attending bodybuilding shows.

They Didn’t Think I Would Make It

In 2013, on a hot summer day in July, I left some grass clippings in a wheel barrel outside next to the garage to take a break. It started raining so I didn’t think to go back outside and that same evening I left town for the weekend. The grass clippings had sat out in the heat full of rain water. I got home and noticed it sitting out there. I pulled the wheel barrel and as I got close to it, it had a horrible odor. I pushed the wheel barrel to the back of the house and dumped the clippings. As I dumped it, it made a ‘hissing-like’ noise and a cloud of steam just engulfed me…I felt like it took the breath out of me and at the same time I tried to take a deep breath. Little did I know that it was something that would eventually make me extremely sick.

About a day later, I started feeling sick. Weak, feverish with body aches. I wanted to just sleep it off, but when my legs couldn’t hold me up anymore, falling twice from extreme exhaustion and with 104 fever….my girlfriend rushed me to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital, I was struggling to breathe. A group of like 8-12 doctors surrounded my hospital bed and after about an hour of being at the hospital they transferred me to ICU with oxygen mask needing about 90% oxygen and a diagnosis of ‘Legionnaires Pneumonia’. This disease, I learned later, is life threatening attacking lungs, kidney and liver.

On about the 29th day in ICU, we got the news from doctors that they will be putting me on induced coma and on a ventilator if they didn’t see an improvement. After hearing that news….I started thinking what can I do, myself, that would help my situation. Believe it or not, it was my healthy lifestyle and my knowledge as bodybuilder that, I strongly believe, helped saved my life. As weak as I was, not being able to pick up my arm to eat and not being able to breathe, I managed to tell my girlfriend to give the dietitian my meal plan and I told her to buy a case of water. For two days, I was hand fed high protein based meals and jugged down plenty of water, along with back patting techniques every 15-30 minutes. By the Grace of God, this helped clear my lungs. If it weren’t for the amazing team of doctors, nurses, respiratory techs, dietitian at Duke Hospital; my will to live and living a healthy lifestyle–I wouldn’t be here.

The doctors were truly amazed and they later told me as I was being wheeled out of the hospital that they didn’t think I was going to make it out of there. They also said that living a healthy lifestyle, never having an alcohol drink, never having smoked and clear from any other illness–is what helped save my life.

Lying in the hospital bed, close to death, I vowed that I would be a better person. That I would make every attempt to help others and to give back to a sport that helped save my life. So you see…

It’s my commitment to continue to compile and create pictures from various events to ensure that the legacy of the Bodybuilding sport continue on and, ultimately, help it grow for a better and much larger health and fitness community.

I want to inspire YOU to stay focused in activities, sports, weight training and healthy nutritional program goals. Because maybe one day, you’ll find yourself needing your knowledge in bodybuilding to keep you alive. Living a healthy lifestyle, staying strong and active is a mind-set. Stay strong and be happy!

It is our commitment to maintain a safe and secure environment. We also care about your well-being and, therefore, we advice that before starting any physical training, exercise or sport activity, you consult with your physician.

It’s Never Too Late!

Be aware of Legionnaires’ Disease. Article Excerpt“…A few people have contracted legionnaires’ disease after working in the garden or using contaminated potting soil…” Feel free to read more about in an article in Mayo Clinic Diseases-Legionnaires Disease.